Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management

Organizations are born from ideas and people make these ideas a reality. Community leaders of Carlsbad, NM had the idea for CEHMM. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a community success story that offers a solution for transuranic waste disposal. CEHMM was to build on this legacy of significant hazardous materials management expertise and expand scientific research into new areas that would benefit the public and environment. The CEHMM was incorporated May 7, 2004 as a State of New Mexico non-profit corporation. CEHMM was established as a not-for-profit scientific research organization and applied for and received a U.S. Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) tax exemption as a public charity. Since its inception, CEHMM has identified and pursued applied research projects that have nation-wide impact and are innovative, meaningful, and practical. CEHMM has created a wide range of cutting edge programs, including developing technology for using algae as a feedstock for biofuels and co-products, biomonitoring for the avian influenza and West Nile viruses, and cooperative conservation of species listed as warranted but precluded on the federal endangered species list. The purpose of the CEHMM projects is to work toward practical solutions to issues that affect both human health and the environment. The projects serve the community, the region, and the state through educational outreach, job creation, and research leading to resolution of important technical and environmental challenges. The algal biomass project is a research and development project investigating production processes and the propagation, harvesting, and extraction of oil from both brine and fresh water algae. The business of algal production and the impact of the future use of algae and algal oil as feedstock for animal and human nutrition in addition to renewable fuel are being researched. Since southeastern New Mexico has been identified as an ideal area for algae propagation, discoveries related to processes for harvesting and extraction of oil from algae has the potential to create a strong new industry for the region.